


Can you keep a secret?

by Jackson_57



Category: Midnight Poppy Land (Webcomic)
Genre: Adult Content, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Sexual Content, Sexual Tension, Smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:15:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 19,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25926511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackson_57/pseuds/Jackson_57
Summary: “Can you do me a favor bobby?”The air stiffened as he leaned in close to her ear, his hands firmly on her thigh as she stared and wondered what the favor could possibly be?“Can you keep a secret?”The story of two lovers that give off chemistry like no other in a secret love story that burns bright as crimson.I created this to play with these characters a bit, I love their chemistry, the mysterious Tora, and the polar opposite Poppy. They both have enlightened me to write again after being away from such writings for so long. I hope you guys enjoy and any good notes in the comments will be greatly appreciated!Also, this doesn't take place from any chapters from the actual comic and there may be spoilers if you haven’t read the comic.All characters, scenes, and character personalities go to Lilydusk. She is an amazing artist on Webtoon which this story is based on her comic Midnight poppy land. Check it out as well as her Patreon!This is an 18+ story with sexual scenes, romance, and meant for a mature audience.
Relationships: Tora/Poppy Wilkes
Comments: 38
Kudos: 113





	1. Chapter one: Fateful Encounter

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Midnight Poppy Land](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/667678) by Lilydusk. 



**“Oh FUDGE OH FUDGE”**  
Poppy ran down the stairs of her apartment complex, she could not believe that she just dropped a painting off the edge and very clearly hit a red sports car below. She did not hear a crash, but she knows there’s paint everywhere and possibly some damage to the vehicle.

* * *

_30 minutes earlier~_  
Poppy was a brown-eyed, artistic and beautiful young woman working at goldfish publishing as a book editor and newly freed college student. She loved plants, art, and reading/anything to do with books. Her main hobby is painting on the top of her apartment complex to unwind and get calmed for the week to come. She had been working on a beautiful painting of the city during the Autumn season, it was nice, breezy and well sometimes fate does weird things to bring people together on such beautiful days with beautiful accidents.  
Her painting had nice earth tones; reds, browns, bright city lights in the distance, and many other features the city displayed during this time of year. It was then that she decided to take a break on the canvas she had been working on for two hours now. It was a large canvas as she had decided to try and sell artwork as a little extra cash plus she loved painting, so two birds with one stone she thought to herself. The painting was her biggest one, a 48-by-60 for that fact and she awkwardly began taking it down. She hissed under her breath as she started to pick up the large canvas until she realized that it started to tilt forward and was much heavier than anticipated.  
She stumbled, fumbled, and felt the canvas hit the edge of the rooftop and completely topple over without any hesitation…

**“Oh MY GOD!”**

_Present~_  
She ran down shooting by her room quickly to grab a bucket of hot water and paint remover with a big rag, she also grabbed her business card and ran out to the parking lot below.

**“I cannot believe this, what do I do!?”**

She went up to the red sports car and slowly peeled away the painting, its paint sticky on the car, and a ruined yet interesting mess was left. She settled the painting to the side and started to spray the car with paint remover to ensure it would come off. As she waited a few minutes she rolled up her sleeves and went to town on getting all the paint off, not caring about her cute avocado crop top or olive green booty shorts that matched. She only cared about whoever this car belonged to that she hoped...no PRAYED they would not be angry and potentially sue her.

* * *

_One hour earlier~_

Tora decided to park his car in a nearby, old yet comfy looking apartment complex while he went for a walk in the area. He spotted the way the area looked and needed to clear his head, a good smoke and good brisk autumn evening walk were just what the doctor ordered. He walked down the block, nearby a park, and even stopped by a small convenience store to get a can of strawberry juice and a few small strawberry chocolates.  
Tora; a black raven-haired, a tall man who had a mysterious past and even more secretive job that he covered up with a bodyguard role that was not too far from the truth. He huffed as his muscles relaxed and began to walk back to his parked car after his small journey in the simple yet peaceful area.

_Present~_  
As he made his round back to the parking lot of the apartment complex he noticed a round, very squishy, and pretty cute bottom area of a woman around his car's hood area. Her hair was long and brown in a nice messy bun as she wiggled. From behind Tora saw an angel but Poppy was frantically making sure all the paint was off the window and ended up climbing onto the hood. He slowly walked up seeing the bucket of paint-stained water and interestingly smeared painting; smears of paint on his windshield with a busty young woman frantically cleaning it off.

**“Umm..need some help?”**

His voice startled her as she jumped a bit, but took a breather as she knew it was the owner of the vehicle and needed to stay calm and professional. She crawled off the car, ass first and landed on her feet, straightening herself up before bowing immediately.

**“I AM SO SORRY. I-it was an accident, I am terribly sorry if any damages occurred please let me know, I am almost done and it’ll be clean as new! I promise!”**

Tora chuckled at this small woman and looked at the car, it did not look damaged, just a few more wipes and the paint should be gone, but he was more interested in this woman in front of him. The silence was intense as she stayed bowed before slowly rising back up straight to be met with deep golden eyes, tattoos, and such gorgeous hair. She awed at him for a second before her face flushed as he let a small smirk come across his face.

**“Honestly miss it's actually pretty funny...I am actually more interested in your name than the car”**

He crossed his arms and had a very confident posture. A way that made Poppy marvel at such stature and mumbled softly her name,  
**“B-Bobby...Poppy!”**

She shook her head and extended her hand to him as he tried to retain a small snicker to her first attempt at saying her name.  
**“My name is Poppy Wilkes! B-but you can call me Poppy”**

Tora slowly grabbed her hand and shook it gently,  
**“Well Bobby, my name is Tora or Tiger if you wanna go there~”**

Her face flushed bright and his hand felt warm on hers, she looked him in the eyes and they met with a powerful gaze. With a melancholy tone between them they spoke at the same time,

**“Nice to meet you.”**


	2. Songbirds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A girl wiping smeared paint and a mafia/bodyguard on a peaceful stroll encounter her on the top of his car hood? What an encounter and much adjusting these two will have in this chapter of learning who each other are and more!
> 
> This is a longer chapter than the last but I hope you all enjoy the details

Seconds felt like an eternity as they both stared into the eyes of each other. Moments went by after they said their greetings and Poppy softly spoke up to break the tense silence. 

**"Not trying to make an excuse...but that last bit of paint will dry soon and it won't be easy to get off..."**

Tora broke the gaze and chuckled a bit nervously, he never got nervous before why so sudden? Why was he acting so star struck in front of her and yet he did not mind her seeing him this way?

**"Oh damn...I mean you're right, you can finish up and we can talk more afterward"**

Poppy smiled and went back to washing the hood and windshield clean of the remaining paint as Tora stared at the sight to be seen by only God himself, but fuck that thought, he was soaking it up right now. She was cute, very adorable, short, busty, and pure he thought to himself. He did not know this woman, this Poppy, but he wanted to know her not even for her looks but also for the way she acts, her hobbies, favorite foods, etc.

Poppy finished up but during the last bit, she could feel this man's eyes burning a hole into her bottom. _'What was he staring at so much?'_ she pondered as she made an extra wipe to ensure all the reds, browns, greens and yellows were off the car. She oddly did not mind, it had been a while since a man stared at her like that, if at all and she did not mind this tiger doing it. 

**"SO, the car is cleaned off, again I am terribly sorry for this accident. I usually don't deal with paintings this size and it just fell off the roof while I was getting ready to pack up..."**

A booming laugh came from Tora, it startled Poppy, but she was happy he could find this whole situation funny versus suing her or something. She giggled slightly at the thought after a moment, Tora grabbing his ribs slowly calmed his laughter and chuckled a bit more before setting his gaze back on her. 

**"You know I have heard a lot, seen a lot, but this is a first. A big ass painting falls from the sky and an angel trying to clean the mess."**

Poppy's face flushed more and she could not believe he called her an angel. Did she hear that right, she slightly cleared her thoughts and smiled at him, setting the rag in the bucket and slowly putting things up.

**"Well Tora, if anything I want to repay you for the trouble since there's no damage and..."**

She passed him her business card; it had her name, the company she worked at, a professional email and number to reach her. Tora thought _'fuck yes'_ in every way possible as he accepted the card from Poppy. 

**"That's my business card, you can shoot me a text or email if you think of a way I can repay you. I can cook well and I am an artist, so if you want a painting I am sure I won't drop it on your car next time"**

She smiled and laughed a bit to her own joke as he chuckled slipping the card behind his phone case. He slowly walked over to her, leaning over so his gentle husky voice could be heard clear next to her ear, 

**"I'll text you tomorrow when I think it through, but hopefully this tiger can get to know more than this"**

Her face could not get redder as she squeaked slightly and backed up. _'His voice was fricken sexy she thought...KEEP IT COOL POPPY, you just landed a big painting on his car you owe him a favor, not a giggly school girl wanting attention.'_

**"O-oh Tora of course! We can get to know each other more if you want, how about this, I will make you up something this Friday and we can eat it at my place around 6 p.m.? You can tell me your favor then, the dinner is on me since this was such a big accident"**

He smiled brightly showing off his dimples which she thought were a cute feature on such a tall, husky man and she enjoyed seeing him smile. It felt warm and actually caring than what other people give her on a daily when making rounds for work or trying to make friends around the city. 

**"Great! 6 p.m. this Friday at your place. I like seafood and rice bowls if you're curious sweetheart"**

He gave her a wink and took the keys out from his sweatshirt pocket and unlocked his car with a small remote. 

**"I will be seeing you then sweetheart...Oh! And, here, I don't really eat sweets, but it seems you need a bit of pepping up"**

He handed her the small strawberry chocolates before getting in his car and waving goodbye. She waved back as he left and a big relieved sigh escaped her lips while bringing everything up to her room with caution to not have another accident again. 

* * *

_three days pass~_

Over the course of three days, Poppy mentally kept checking her apartment, making sure it was clean, aesthetically pleasing, and roomy for the large guest named Tora that will be accompanying her that night. It was the night that she will get to see him again and it sent butterflies through her in a good fuzzy warm kind of way. Poppy prepared four large dishes with big portions of vegetables to go along with them as well as a hotpot that she bought for indoor cooking when the weather was perfect for friendly get-togethers indoors. 

She picked up her phone, it was 4:36 p.m. and she smiled to see a text from Tora, _'I'll be there at 6 p.m. sharp sweetheart. Can't wait, Starvin'_

 **"Good,"** she said to herself as she put the food away to simmer or stay cool before his arrival. She took a long shower, making sure to shave, wash her hair well, and check herself out while thinking _'why am I dong the thick booty check? It's not like this is a date, it's just repaying him for my accident...'_

She slowly got dried, picked out a cute autumn outfit. She wore a slightly bigger than her size white sweater that had a small turtle neck to it. With it, she wore a cute black skirt that met her knees and autumn orange socks that had small foxes on them, _'Cute'_ she thought while admiring the outfit. She asked Erdene to help her pick something that was cute but still had a mature feel and she sure was feeling herself in this one. 

* * *

While Poppy did her finishing touches on the apartment, herself, and food Tora was talking with Quincey at his place.

**"Look, I need help picking something and don't dress me up as you do, I want something that's casual, comfortable and nice"**

Quincey sighed at the demands of his best friend, his brother pretty much, and bodyguard. He looked through Tora's closet and set out a few outfits, staring at him and trying to ensure the best look since those golden eyes glared at him with all seriousness. 

**"Okay, Mr. Grumpy Tiger you're making me nervous, what's with the sudden nice outfit change? Got a date tonight? Tryin to get some ass on the strip?"**

Quincey made a slight twerking motion while Tora sat dead faced, **"OR ignore me and be an ass"** he mumbled while Tora slowly sighed staring at the clothes laid out.

**"I did meet a girl a few days ago, get this she dropped a big ass painting on my car and full ass view attempted to wipe it clean when I found her. We talked, she was cute, a damn angel and she promised dinner tonight and whatever I wanted"**

Quincey laughed at the thought of such an encounter but also smiled for Tora while he finished picking out the outfit. 

**"You know the craziest meetups usually end in the best relationships. Justtt try not to scare her away tiger and tone down that wild instinct. Everyone across the city can probably guess what you plan on doing to that sweet woman you've describe..."**

Tora hit Quincey on his head, not super hard but hard enough to shock and shut him up. 

**"Look I'm not gonna bust in wanting her spread out like a turkey dinner...that would be nice BUT I do wanna actually try a relationship even if we start as friends from a very unusual incident."**

He chuckled still thinking on it and slowly picked up the clothes. He went to the bathroom and a moment later emerged with a nice long sleeve black shirt on, it hugged his muscles just right and a pair and dark grey jeans along with a watch from Quincey's collection that was silver to tie in the outfit. 

**"Oh wow well if she doesn't gobble you up someone will soon tiger. You look good, now go, it's already 5:30 p.m. and that should be enough time to get there.**

Tora actually smiled and patted his brother on the head, **"Thanks"** he left the apartment and took a black sports car to match his looks as Quincey said to, **"Ride in Style baby"** before throwing the keys into Toras hands. 

* * *

It was 5:50 p.m. and Tora sent Poppy a small text saying he'll be there in 10. She quickly reheated things, chopped up a few more fresh vegetables, got herself together one last time, and waited happily for him to ring her phone to let him in. 

As he did he parked, walked up to the room number that she told him, and knocked on her door with a text saying he was there at 6 p.m. sharp. She slowly opened it even though she was very excited and nervous. They both met each other's gaze in the doorway and stared for a while. Her hazel brown eyes met his golden honey ones again and it seemed they both enjoyed taking each other in through silence. 

After a moment Poppy slowly gestured for him to come in breaking the trance, he walked in slowly checking the place out while she locked the door behind him and stepped past his large figure. She smiled up while holding out her hands as if she had just performed a trick, 

**"Welcome to Poppy's home, where the plants are all named and my paintings are all framed"**

He almost burst out laughing but held it in best he could as he walked over to where the couch was, "Nice place" he noticed the balcony and felt uneasy with how open and vulnerable she was, especially with not that many locks on it or... _' wait he thought, look I am here to enjoy myself, eat good food and enjoy this angel. Stop going mafia bodyguard mode...chill'_

Poppy watched his facial expressions while he was examining her balcony from afar, _'what was he doing? Was he thinking dirty or thinking it was too small?"_ She shrugged it off and went to the kitchen to bring out the food to the small dining table on the floor.

It was a feast; The hotpot had a luscious brown broth with a few aromatics in it to give it flavor as well as a strong vegetable smell. She set down mushrooms, broccoli, and carrots that were all perfect small cuts for the hotpot. As for the meat she set down a large dish of fresh-cut squid, thinly cut beef slices, and cubed tofu. Lastly, she settled two rice bowls in front of the places they were gonna sit, strawberry juice cans, any dishware they needed, and soy sauce. 

**"Umm...Bobby holy shit what's with the feast?"**

Toras' eyes were glued on the food and he sat down on his placemat. Poppy smiled sitting across from him and slowly began putting the thicker vegetables into the simmering broth.

**"Well, I looked at you and said holy molly he's huge and big boys gotta eat my grandma says"**

He chuckled as he relaxed himself watching the food simmer and sipping on the can of juice. **"You cook often or this a special occasion for me?"** he smirked softly while she tried to hide a blush, she placed a few slices of meat into the hotpot before speaking,

**"I cook a bit, never to this amount, but it is an enjoyable hobby. I hope you like it and have you thought of the favor you wanted?"**

Tora almost chocked at the stare she gave him when asking that, In honesty, he thought of many favors but did not want to go there just yet. He slowly took some food from the hotpot eating it along with his rice as she did but still the question lingered in her eyes. 

**"Um...well you know what! That painting that hit my car I want that painting"**

She looked shocked and confused, **"WHY?"** he chuckled at her curiosity and ate some more before answering, 

**"Well, its a reminder on how an angel fell into my life. I should thank that painting and what better way than to hang it up!"**

Poppy's cheeks began to flush and she nodded eating more shyly.

* * *

The hot pot was finished and Poppy washed the dishes as Tora dried them. She insisted that he didn't need to help but he bragged that with a feast like that he did not mind at all.

**"So, Tora what do you do for a living?"**

The question took him by surprise but he answered swiftly, **"Bodyguard and I like to work out"** he stared at her and she stared at him. She smiled and hummed before more questions came, 

**"So, I was curious you don't live around here, what caused you to be parked at the apartment that day we met?"**

He smiled, she was like a songbird in his ear and he loved her curiosity for now of course. **"Well, its actually a nice area and I needed to take a good stroll so I saw this place, parked and went on a walk to find paint and a sexy angel on my hood"**

She almost dropped her plate, again with the flirting and she enjoyed it but it kept surprising her every time. She sighed sweetly and they finished up their cleaning to join each other on the couch. She smiled at him while they set with a cushion between them. He yawned softly and smirked moving a bit closer as she read a small book. He slowly slipped his arm over her shoulder, poking her right cheek with his finger. 

**"I see you like books, what made you enjoy them so much and why?"**

Her heartbeat quickened as she leaned her head into his hand, 

**"Well, its an escape feeling and the knowledge that comes with it. My dad liked to read and I picked that up from him to"**

**"He must be a good guy, ever talk to him since I am guessing you aren't from around here?"**

She stiffened a bit and stared passed the balcony, **"He passed away from cancer when I was younger actually...and my mom kind just left so my grandma helped raise me.."**

It just came out and Tora felt bad for opening a can of worms that he should have left closed. 

**"I..I'm sorry Poppy I didn-"**

**"Its okay Tora, I'm not too sad about it, to be honest, just lonely and wondering what he's thinking of me right now"**

**"Beautiful"**

She looked up suddenly at him

**"Beautiful, kind, gifted, caring, great cook, warm person, and overall doing her best. I am sure that's what he thinks of his bright daughter."**

Tears formed at the corner of her eyes and a huge smile on her face appeared, **"T-thank you Tora"** she slowly wiped her eyes and nudged closer to him, feeling his warmth as he rubbed her shoulder. 

* * *

It began to get late as the two chatted, the time struck 11 p.m. and Poppy was a happy, full, cheerful, cute hampster that needed sleep. They both had talked each others heads off. 

**"Hey Bobby, don't fall asleep on me just yet I'm about to leave make sure to lock up behind me well okay?" She nodded leading him to the door to send him on his way.**

**"Thank you again Tora, Oh one more thing"**

She went to her balcony and grabbed the painting, it was wrapped in brown painters paper with corded string to keep it closed. 

**"Oh, thanks Poppy I almost fo-"**

Soft lips touched his cheek as she smiled and winked at him, **"No problem tiger, see you around okay?"**

He nodded in shock as the door closed in front of him. _'Fuck yes, he got a painting, a memory, good food and a kiss from an angel'_

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I posted chapter one not long ago, but these first few chapters have been developing on my mind for a while. SOO, these first few (4-5) may come quick and its because I already had drafts for them and things will flow smoother. I hope you enjoy them!
> 
> I know the chapter was long but I wanted to get them adjusted like the songbirds they were, chatting, syncing and mainly finding a spark to something interesting.


	3. I wanna see you again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our duo Tora and Poppy have met by chance of a falling painting and now they seem to be slowly testing the waters. It seemed that Poppy is interested in Tora since a small kiss left him wanting more. "Can we talk" will feature more romance as we begin to climb up this 'rising action' of events!

Poppy closed the door as Tora stood in shock from the small kiss on the cheek. She squealed as soon she listened to hear him leave behind the door and watched him out of her balcony. He looked up to see her hair flowing, a large smile on her lips, and such pure innocence when he waved a last goodbye before getting in the car. 

**"I need to call Erdene Now!"**

Poppy picked up her phone and texted quickly asking if they could talk on the phone. A reply immediately came, _'sure'_ as her phone rang and answered her friend. 

**"Okay, remember the guy I was giving a meal for the super embarrassing accident?"**

**"mhm?"**

**"WELLLL he's super tall, cute, he's got tattoos but I cannot see them well, his eyes are made of honey and I couldn't even describe that voice!"**

Poppy lay on her back on her soft comforter as she huffed letting all that roll over her best friend. At first, there was silence and then a small laugh from the other side of the phone, 

**"Poppy Wilkes has a crush~,"** she said taunting Poppy as Poppy's face flushed, she sat up and thought it over. She might have a crush on him, but why so easy? She was shy, timid in most situations, and most of all still trying to build her confidence from her break-up with her cheating ex about 8 months ago. Was it him? He made her feel beautiful and he flirted smoother than butter to her as she sighed happily on the phone.

**"So, since I can hear you thinking from that sigh, I bet he's a good guy, fate does interesting things and maybe this is what you need!"**

Erdene was right, she needed something happy and wanted that warm, comfortable, yet safe feeling Tora gave off. Plus he showed a lot of interest, he did not seem to be pulling her leg with the amount of smooth-talking he did to her, _'Beautiful', 'Angel', 'Kind, Caring...'_ the words felt nice from him and they felt genuine. 

**"Erdene...What should I do...I gave him a kiss on the cheek and he took the painting that landed on his car as a memory. I'm rusty on this dating stuff..."**

Erdene smiled at her phone, Poppy was her friend; a sweet, attractive and low-confident friend. She wanted to guide Poppy 100% but kept her cool as this was Poppy's time to shine. 

**"Look, you gotta get in that, you gotta do it yourself and without buzzy Erdene by your ear...okay? I can help with outfits though! And, we need to hit the gym, I am sure someone of his body size will surely want to bend yo-"**

**"Erdene!?"**

Poppy's face was red and she could not help but laugh at her friend over the phone.

**"Okay, we haven't hit that point yet so don't mention that stuff. And, I could use a gym, after dropping that painting I think I need to work on my upper arm strength"**

**"Good! We'll start working out at least four times a week for thirty minutes~ Sound good pops?"**

**"Yes..",** Poppy hated working out but she needed it for her strength and to avoid any more accidents. To the topic of Tora, she asked Erdene one final question before hanging up, 

**"Do you really think I have a shot?"**

A pause settled in between the two as Erdene looked for the best words, 

**"I think you do, but if he's as confident-sounding as you make him I think you need to work on that aspect. Try pep-talking yourself before work in the mirror or just get naked and walk around your room showing that ass, THAT you do have Poppy and need to be more proud of!"**

Poppy was trying not to cry at how nice her friend was, **"thank you",** they both said goodnight, and Poppy laid there until a buzz alerted on her phone. 

* * *

Tora sent a text roughly around 1 a.m., he couldn't stop thinking of her and how soft her lips were. Not just that either, he loved her personality, he wanted her to beam glory into the eyes of the city with her confidence and really loved that hotpot. He looked overseeing that his text was read with a pending typing on the screen. He sent it with instinct more than thinking, _'I wanna see you again',_ he read it over his lips a few times before thinking if it sounded too eager or did she like that?

_'When? I am free Tuesday and Wednesday this week~'_

He eyed the message wanting to jump and do a bit of a dance, but he kept his cool even with no one else in his apartment. 

_'Those days are fine with me sweetheart, I can take you out to dinner? Your choice?'_

He clicked send and took a deep breath, he did not say date, but hell if she agreed it was surely a date to be. He waited for ten minutes before hearing another buzz,

_'Sure! how about coy fish cove? Its a great seafood place and they have super yummy sushi :p'_

He chuckled thinking on, a cute hamster with its cheeks filled with sushi...who would give that experience up. 

_'Sounds great angel, I'll pick you up at 5 Tuesday and we can go from there~ Night'_

Her cheeks flared and a giddy smile ran wild as she was thrilled. A date she thought, a real, good, genuine date with someone of interest, dear god this was perfect by all means. 

* * *

_Tuesday~_

It was Tuesday 3 p.m. and Poppy sat with Erdene debating on an outfit, 

**"I don't know these three look so nice, yet I can't choose!"**

She trailed off and planted her face in a pillow as Erdene rubbed her head, 

**"I know, close your eyes, I'll switch up the outfits and you pick at random! They all look good on you",**

Poppy did just that and when she finished spinning around and pointing she had selected; a nice black halter dress, that was paired with a small gold necklace and nice black block heels. It also had a cute strawberry hair tie and black bow for Erdene to do her hair with. 

**"It's perfect"**

* * *

It was 4:15 p.m. and Tora was already sitting outside in the parking lot. He had Quincey throw together a few outfits so he didn't have to wait and just grab and go. He wore a collard white shirt with a black slim fitted Notch Lapel Collared jacket, a pair of black dress shoes, and a black watch to tie it all in. He slumped down in his car's passenger seat staring slightly at Poppy's balcony above. He was fucking nervous, _'damn, why?',_ he thought softly in his head, before he knew it he closed his eyes thinking of Poppy; her smile and that kiss Friday night. His phone buzzed and he was startled back to reality looking at the message, 

_'I'm ready when you are~'_

He texted back after letting it sit for 5 minutes, 

_'Already here, outside in my red sports car and try not to spill paint on it this time~'_

He chuckled on one end as she flushed on the other. He was gonna bring that up forever, but it can't be helped...it was pretty funny. She walked down to find his car, tapping lightly on the glass for him to unlock the door, and he was in awe. Ever seen a jaw hit the floor? If it was possible Tora's would be right there on the floor of his car as he watched her get in and buckle up. Their gaze meeting again and they felt warm in the small car space between them.

**"Y-You look beautiful"**

Poppy giggled at his stumble of words and smiled brightly at him, 

**"You don't look bad yourself tiger"**

He smirked and gently pushed his hand onto her cheek, leaning forward and whispering in her ear in that husky voice she sure loved, 

**"I might skip dinner and eat dessert~"**

She was flushed red and her breathing slowed, trying to keep cool as his lips were so close to her soft skin, 

**"Mhmm...I mean we can have dessert at my place, I have a strawberry creme cake!"**

He smiled kissing her earlobe gently before putting the car in drive as she sat there like a schoolgirl on cloud nine and it made her super excited. 

* * *

They arrived, ate, and had a great time. Poppy asked a few more questions, nothing too deep and personal. Tora tried to keep it the same as to not open another depressing can of worms like last time. The two went back to Poppy's and she served a slice of strawberry creme cake as promised. As they ate Tora asked an interesting question, 

**"I've noticed something, you like to paint and read books, why not write your own?"**

**"Actually I tried to write before but there were too many things and too much imagination that I couldn't put it on paper"**

He chuckled setting his plate down and looking over at her, the dress was gorgeous on her, and _'did she even see it?'_ he thought to himself. In the process of dinner, he saw her have an awkward almost self judgmental face expression while trying to ensure her cleavage wouldn't pop out from the dress. He pushed himself closer, closing the gap the cushion on the couch made between them and gently ran his fingers through her messy hair. 

She squeaked softly and looked at him from the side while sipping on a glass of milk, her heartbeat quickening at his large hands in her hair and the warmth of his body pressing into her. He was fixated on her, his eyes telling her all she needed to know as they slowly met another powerful gaze. It was quiet and she gently put the empty glass down in front of her while keeping the intense eye contact. His hands gently brushed her cheeks and slowly massaged the back of her neck as he got as close as he could to her. She groaned at the touch and slowly tilted her head to one side then the other, those large hazel eyes still fixed on his golden ones. It was common that Tora didn't keep eye contact well unless he spoke to close friends or family, _'so why this girl he thought?'_

He moved his hands down slowly massaging her shoulders leaning into her ear whispering, 

**"You know, I wasn't sure if you knew but you are stunning in this dress~"**

He felt the heat on her cheeks as she shyly nodded a thank you, gently pressing his forehead in hers while they both took in each other's beauty and slowly they intertwined their fingers. 

**"Thank you, Tora, for everything you say to me..."**

She smiled softly as he chuckled leaning in to kiss her forehead, then her cheek and slowly he traced his lips to hers and gently pressed them into a deep, yet gentle kiss. It had been so long since she felt this much in heaven...actually she had never felt this much bliss from a simple kiss. Their tongues slowly rolled over each other as it deepened, her hands slowly went up to his chest as he cupped her face tenderly to keep the burning passion ignited. 

After some time she slowly pulled away as their foreheads met again, a thin line of saliva connecting their once inseparable lips. She slowly licked hers as he did the same in return, it was lust and they both surely felt it deep inside.

* * *

_To be continued~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoy this as much as I did writing it! I know I add a lot of detail and build up but it's nice to actually develop the characters and build something before getting flung into something.


	4. Who are you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy and Tora have their first sexual encounter and it takes them down a beautiful path of knowing each other more. But, Poppy wonders who is this Tiger and what secrets does he hold.

After some time she slowly pulled away as their foreheads met again. A thin line of saliva connecting their once inseparable lips. She slowly licked hers as he did the same in return, it was lust and they both surely felt it deep inside.

* * *

Poppy scooted close to Tora, resting her chest against his and swinging her arms over his head to nestle on his shoulders. She was wrapped to him while he studied those large doe-like eyes and began to grin out of nowhere. 

**"You know Bobby, I get the dress and all but why the sudden kiss?"** , her cheeks flared, giving him a slight glare and pinch on his cheek, **"I think you're one to talk...you started it!"** He thundered laughing, _'God was she adorable'_ , he wanted her, he enjoyed her and never imagined to meet such a feisty young woman. 

**"Well, well~"** he growled in her ear cuffing her ass in his hands and gently feeling her body through the black dress. She squirmed a bit, but slowly pushed eagerly into his touches while he roamed her body, 

**"Maybe I can start something else, hm?~"** , he let the words roll off his tongue while whispering into her ear, biting gently at her earlobe and tugging teasingly. She shivered hard, letting out a small moan as he played with her and she loved it. He allowed himself to do what he wanted as long as she seemed to not mind, _'ease her into it'_ he thought while softly nibbling up her neck and unzipping the back of her dress. 

**"T-tora.."**

She slowly unzipped his pants, rubbing the length of his growing erection under his briefs while going for a passionate kiss. He liked this, she liked this; they didn't know each other well, but fate was doing her magic on both of them. Poppy gliding her lips down his neck, kissing down his collarbone and going between his legs. She sat on her knees in front of him, his legs open resting his chin on his hand smirking down at such an innocent face with such naughty intentions. Her lips her trembling, _'Pull yourself together Poppy, he's just an average guy with an aver-'_ , her thoughts left her when he pulled his erection out stroking it in front of her and she grinned wildly. _'Second thought; he's not an average guy and he doesn't have an average cock~ it was nice~'_ , 

**"Perfect"** , she mumbled under her breath while he watched her unbreaking gaze from his length. He gently poked her right cheek with the tip, **"Earth to Poppy do you read me~"** She turned crimson and turned her face while opening her mouth, the tip sliding between her lips and slowly gripping the shaft with a tender hand. He groaned softly, rubbing her wild hair; fingers slipped through and he gently gripped the back of her head. She stared deep into his eyes as he began to bob her head; watching and admiring her obedience to take him in so nicely~ Poppy didn't do this much, not much with her ex especially since he was so...small in comparison. The sight of seeing how nice Tora was made her want to fill her mouth with him and inhale the scent of him. 

**"Mhmm...Good girl~"** , he growled and slowly picked up the pace, gently fucking her throat while staring at her eyes; those round beautiful eyes~ He liked the way she looked; his cock in her mouth, wild hair and very lustful, yet innocent eyes to tie the whole package deal together. While in his thoughts Poppy softly moaned as she felt him fuck her throat harder and faster. She whimpered, but slowly became used to it her eyes rolling up and taking him better. He groaned and growled, getting close to the edge when she suddenly pulled his length from her mouth and caught her breath. 

**"T-Tora...Jesus Christ...You man~"** , Tora gripped her hair roughly making her take him in and began to fuck her mouth again. She gripped his thighs while watching his facial expressions; they were controlling, dominant, and _'so hot'_ , she thought to herself as she felt a sudden wave hit the back of her throat. He grinned mischievously, moaning softly while finishing in her mouth and making her take every drop. Her eyes shut and slowly took every drop before he pulled out of her mouth, his fingers around her chin making her show him that she swallowed it and patted her head. 

**"That was amazing sweetheart~"**

Poppy smiled, she honestly felt amazing from just that and loved watching this beast of a man unravel from just her mouth. Tora sighed happily as he watched her stand up, 

**"So Bobby anything from me you want?~"** She looked at the tattoo on his neck and smiled getting back on the couch. 

**"I wanna see your tattoos, I wanna see them all and tell me what they mean"** , Tora looked puzzled but chuckled as he peeled off his shirt and pants standing in front of her. She stood in awe, getting close to his body and examining his artwork. The left of his chest and left side of his back held bright pinkish-oranges, perfect black lining; a hint of green and beautiful flowers that made up the piece of art. His right side held bolder oranges, sleek black lines that followed the fish dancing on his skin like it belonged so perfectly...her gaze met the one on his left neck. It looked interesting... _' almost tribal?'_ she thought as she closely examined it. Tora tried to keep his worry away as she stayed on this one for a while and he chuckled nervously, **"Okay Miss Poppy go on and ask your questions"**. He watched her as she tapped her lower lip in thought and smiled innocently, 

**"The one on your left neck...I get the others to an extent but this one looks tribal?"** , he thanked God she said that so he could play off of it, **"Yep! It's actually a tribal marking that means strong warrior!"** , he played off in a warrior stance as Poppy giggled still admiring his artwork of a body. 

**"To be honest Tora~ You're beautiful, you look so nice and the tattoos actually compliment you well~"**

For the first time in a really long time, maybe even ever Tora rose to a small blush and looked away staring out the balcony, **"Thanks"** he mumbled as she giggled gesturing for him to put on his clothes, after more questions on the tattoos, it finally seized for the night. They sat, talked, drank strawberry juice, and enjoyed their time together. Poppy escorted Tora out and shut the door softly behind him after waving goodbye. Moments later after her shower she received a text from him saying that he made it home safely. She giggled and slowly laid on her squishy comforter, her face to the ceiling and her eyes shut. The giggles turned to a fine line across her mouth, she softly mouthed the words to herself and began to wonder, **"Who are you?"** her eyes opened and she slowly clicked off the light, the room turning dark and the moon setting against the city. 

* * *

_4 a.m.~_

An illuminated laptop screen brightened the small space in the room as Poppy typed, clicked, and browsed on the web. She had a vivid mental note on the Tattoo on Tora's neck; she felt guilty to snoop around, but he seemed to be keeping the true origin of the symbol a secret. Poppy loved books and really liked to read on different cultures: none of which had that symbol documented in their tribe's writings. Books laid out across her bed; she looked through them and browsed the web now for an hour; still no sign of that mysterious symbol. Poppy finally sat back in the dark and began to think on what the symbol could come from when suddenly she remembered Erdenes voice when she had first moved to the city, 

_The discussion with Erdene~_

**"Poppy I know you're new hear but be careful in the city and walking after dusk"**

Poppy looked at her friend puzzled, she had just moved in three months ago and had actually planned to take night strolls once she was more familiar with her surroundings, **"Why's that?"** , she stared at her friend with a soft, yet curious look. 

**"The city is beautiful...but there have been gang issues for a while here...especially with the Balth..."**

_Present~_

Poppy hissed to herself as she tried to remember the name of the gangs her friend said that day, **"Balth...something...its something what was it"** , she slowly typed the beginning letters that she could remember and recent searches showed, _'Balthuman Clan?'_ she felt like this was what her friend said and slowly clicked the name; her eyes widened and she gasped softly. The very symbol, the one carved into Toras neck was the very first and large image to appear on the screen. She bit her lip trying to examine it closely, _'It was the exact symbol wasn't it...it really was...'_ , she started reading on the Balthuman Clan and the words, _'rich, powerful, deadly and feared'_ caught her attention. She slowly shook and stared at the laptop screen her face showing signs of dolefulness and her eyes glazed while she stared straight ahead. 

**"Wh...who are you Tora?"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it took so long to get this in, I accidentally deleted this chapter twice and finally was able to make it through without another mistake!  
> I hope you guys enjoyed it, I know we hate seeing things take a turn, but the good is sure to come!


	5. Trust your gut

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After snooping Poppy begins to question her "relationship" with Tora. She begins to take a different path that she trusts her gut is doing the right thing. The chapter focuses mainly on Poppy and builds up to something better.

It had been four days since Tora and Poppy's date, she texted him that Wednesday that she wasn't feeling well and that her next days off they could hang out. _'Sure Sweetheart~ Text if you need anything'_ , she couldn't believe that someone so nice and kind to her had any affiliation with a clan like the Balthuman. It scared her, but she tried to keep her mind off it with her work as she had got in touch and a meeting with a writer named Q.B.

She was excited and started to prepare for it; he was a well-known writer, young for him getting up high and apparently a great opportunity for Giant Goldfish publishing. She looked at her phone while sitting at her desk, it had been four days since she and he spoke and her next day off was Wednesday and Thursday since the meeting would be on Tuesday. Her heart raced and picked up her phone taking a deep breath typing out her days off to him, 

_'Hey! I'm off Wednesday and Thursday if you wanna hang :3'_ , she set her phone back down and two hours passed before a text buzzed on her desk. She looked at it with his reply and felt sick, 

_'Hey Bobby, I have a bodyguard trip for a week or two that just came up...sorry for that sweetheart, when I get back dinner and movies on me~'_ , knowing his true job she thought of the worse scenarios, her eyes shut tight and she began to try to keep this urging anxiety that kept creeping up her throat. Why did she feel so nervous? She didn't know the guy well and what he did was his business; it was the fact that it was a dangerous scenario and she knew to keep away from something like that...from a guy like him. She texted him back, _'That's okay! Work calls afterall~ Just let me know when you get back'._

It was 6 p.m. and a Saturday night to do whatever she wanted, she headed out telling her boss and Erdene goodnight as she walked the strip. She hit a small bakery in the area that had amazing black forest cake; not too rich and not to bland...just right. She picked out a slice along with a few muffins for her breakfast during the rest of her workweek. She looked up seeing a man with flashy blonde hair, a beautiful black denim jacket, and a silver watch that oddly seemed familiar. He talked boldly and flamboyant as the cashier rang up a big order of cookie trays, muffins, a few whole cakes, and a platter of brownies. Poppy was struck by the feast, but he looked like he was a social person and probably was running a social event. 

She slowly stood behind him waiting to be served next when he turned around staring at her; her cheeks turning red as a reaction to the sudden attention. He walked around her like a predator for its pray, putting up his hands and staring at her like a painting. 

**"Sweetheart~ You are perfect for a book I am writing! Your gorgeous curves, soft eyes, and very luscious hair!"** , her face was red as this very boastful man complimented her, _'a book?'_ , she thought, she smiled and listened to him. 

**"Look, here's my card, its good pay and I have an editor I am meeting with Tuesday to possibly take my book on and start a fantastic adventure. Give me a call when you feel like talking, it'll be worth your time, Chow!"**

He left with his business card in her hands as she stood there, other customers whispering and going about their business. She paid for her sweet treats and walked home. It began getting dark and the thought of being an inspiration for a character in a book intrigued her. She began to walk home as dusk approached the city. She walked past the convenient store, slowly approaching the park when she heard a noise to the side of her and clutched her belongings close to her. She was used to walking home where she used to live, so the thought of the city's dangerous side had completely left her mind. _'Oh god...'_ , she walked faster passing the park and looked up to see a shadow disappearing. 

Her heart thudding in her chest as she made it to the parking lot of her apartment, up the stairs and slammed her door shut. 

**"What the hell was that?!"** , her hands were trembling as she set down her belongings and sat on the couch. Sudden urgency to check all her locks, windows, and balcony made her do a full sweep of everything. Was this all because Tora was here? He mentioned the balcony not being protected well and her anxiety went up higher as she pushed a few plants around the closed balcony doors so if someone did try to come in the hard ceramic would make a noise. 

She sat down, beginning to tear up as she wondered if it was a shadow or her imagination. She felt overwhelmed that things could have gone bad or she was running for nothing. But, Poppy trusted her instincts more than anything and she felt like something was not right. She went to take a long shower after putting away her desserts. She had no appetite and wanted to just calm herself down. She dressed in comfy fuzzy pajamas and laid with a book; her thoughts kept swimming, her anxiety stuck in her throat as she kept thinking about it. She picked up her phone and looked at Tora's contact while scrolling to the settings. She slowly clicked block and laid the device down, curling up to her soft sobs and trembling anxiety.

* * *

_Two weeks later~_

Poppy sat at her desk, it had been two weeks, she met with Q.B. that Tuesday and had a wonderful surprise. 

_Meeting with Q.B.~_

Poppy had arrived at the restaurant, she sighed at the fact that it was the Coy fish Cove her and Tora went on a date too. She stepped in; she was wearing a white open face blazer with a peachy-orange collared shirt, she had white double button wide-legged pants and peachy-orange wedges to tie the look together. She sat down at the reserved booth and waited nervously. Her plan proposal in front of her, pen, paper, notepad, and a recorder. She scanned through her plan proposal when she heard a familiar voice, 

**"Well hello~"**

She looked up wide-eyed to see the blonde man wearing a white suit with that same silver watch from the bakery. He was smiling ear-from-ear and plopped down right across from her looking more cheerful than strawberry pie. 

**"H-hello~"** , she felt more nervous when she hadn't even looked at the business card he gave her at the bakery since her anxiety-filled sobbing echoed in her ears. She closed her eyes, drawing in a deep breath and extended her hand out smiling brightly; eyes confident. 

**"My name's Poppy Wilkes of the Giant Goldfish Publishing"**

The process went smooth since Mr. Q.B. or Quincey was very laid back and nice. He enjoyed her presentation, talked about his book, and still wanted her to represent a main role in the book. Poppy agreed and he happily signed making poppy his new editor for his upcoming works. 

_Present~_

She was typing on the computer when she felt a buzz, Quincey loved to joke around and hang. He was very social and wanted her to come over so he could talk to her about ideas on the newest romance novel. He also wanted to know her better as he wanted to really play an important role in Poppy's looks and personality. She agreed to taxi over to his place and be there by 5 p.m. 

_Quincey's place~_

She arrived at 4:50 p.m. since her boss made her stay on top of time and made sure that Q.B. had an on-time editor. She got into the elevator admiring the nice apartment complex and rode up slowly listening to the elevator music. She glanced as she saw there would be someone getting on just a few floors under Quincey's apartment, she moved to the side to make sure there was room as the doors slowly opened and her face went pale. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. It was something I was working on from the beginning and finally was able to get it onto paper!  
> I hope you enjoy seeing things rise more and begin to settle into a different turn of events on what Poppy has unraveled.  
> Sorry but not sorry for the cliffhanger


	6. You Lied

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Poppy is confronted by Tora and things are finally gonna get interesting as Tora and Poppy are forced into more awkward yet needed situations.

She glanced ad saw there would be someone getting on just a few floors under Quincey's apartment, she moved to the side to make sure there was room as the doors slowly opened and her face went pale.

* * *

Poppy gripped her small purse to her chest as comfort. She was hating fate; why of all people? What are the chances to be in this situation when trying to move her life forward? 

Tora stood there for a moment as the elevator door opened. His eyes were more or less struck by seeing Poppy standing there, he didn't stare for too long; slowly getting on the elevator and crossing his arms over his chest. That same confident stance but more serious than showy as Poppy observed from the corner of her eye.

_ 2 weeks ago~  _

Tora regretted telling Poppy the news that he would be gone for a week most likely two. A war had been brewing with a rival clan and things didn't seem to be going well especially since two men had already been murdered in the whole crossfire of things.  He stared at his text from his boss, sighing seeing that there will be many sleepless nights and a bunch of time lost; he wanted to see her again~

_ 1 week ago~ _

It had been a week since he last texted Poppy. He was tired, sore and ready to eat hotpot again and enjoy the passing autumn season. He sent her a text, _'hey sweetheart! How've you been? Work is long and I can't wait till I get back~'_

Tora noticed it was quiet, she usually replied within two hours, to be honest, this whole week had been very quiet to him in regards to her texting and he thought she would be more of a text person. 

_ 4 days ago~  _

Tora was pissed, tired and fucking sore. His hands were wrapped in bandages around his knuckles and he now wore another scar across his right shoulder from a very close bullet in a very lucky, not so lucky failed ambush attempt. 

He stared at his phone, he had sent her other texts but she wasn't answering, _'Hey angel hows the week been?', 'how's life doin ya?', 'I'll be home in a few days, be thinkin' on where you wanna go when we meetup~', 'Poppy?'._

**"Damn.."** He sighed and looked out his hotel window. Things were actually getting good, did he scare her away...did something happen to her? His mind flooded with terrible thoughts, he began speaking to her and fuckingly this rival clan began to mess with them around the same time. Maybe someone was watching them? Maybe someone saw her as a target? What if...What if!? 

He punched the wall next to him groaning at his wild mind, running his fingers over his head, and rested it gently as he laid out on the hotel bed, taking deep breaths and thinking. If she did leave it made him sad...kinda mad but also glad since this issue was getting him involved. She was innocent and to pure for a life like this...but he was close to having someone who looked at him differently. They met by fate and even only a few weeks of really knowing each other he felt like he could do anything and everything with her by his side. 

**"She could have at least texted versus ghosting" he mumbled to himself before clicking off his lights and resting for the night.**

_ Present~  _

Tora stared at Poppy from the corner of his eye; no hello, no blushing face, and nothing bubbly about seeing him. Just a cold and pale atmosphere. He looked at the elevator buttons seeing she was going to the same floor as him. Since he got home Quincey wanted to hang; aka sip wine, let Tora play video games and talk about his boyfriend. Tora didn't mind at all, he generally drowned Quincey out but he wanted something normal compared to the events over the past two weeks. He didn't expect to see her though, why was she here? Meeting someone? He sighed a bit and kept his eyes straight at the elevator door allowing the soft elevator music to drown the silence.

Poppy shifted a bit feeling his golden gaze; she felt bad for ghosting him but he did lie to her about his job. She tried to hold in her anxiety, noticing he didn't click any numbers and thought, _'Is he really going to the same floor like me?'_

The elevator dinged at the top floor, Tora slowly walked out past Poppy and whispered softly, **"Sorry"**. Her heart wrenched a bit, she felt like the bad guy but she's trying to follow her gut. Why does it feel so bad to stay safe? 

Poppy didn't comment, she began following him wanting to say something but couldn't. Tora stopped at Quincey's apartment door to feel the presence of Poppy standing behind him. 

**"Tora I-"** her comment was cut off as Quincey opened the door hugging Tora and then noticing Poppy. 

**"Well look at you guys! Coming at the same time~ I completely forgot I had you both coming at the same time."**

Tora and Poppy both awkwardly walked in once Quincey invited them in. Tora stood to the side as Quincey began to introduce them. 

**"Tora this is Poppy Wilkes! She's my new editor and inspiration for my book I'm writing~**

**Poppy this is Tora, he's a brother to me and my bodyguard. I meant to mention it to you since I wanted you to feel safe and-",**

Quincey Patted Tora on the shoulder, 

**"This guy is the best man at keepin' people safe, swear it and live by it~"**

Poppy slightly smiled at the fact that he totally didn't lie, but he still did technically, the tattoo and disappearance for two weeks was enough proof that more than bodyguard work was being done. Tora slightly grinned back and she blushed to turn her head away to Quincey who sat smiling. 

She extended her hand to Tora, and remade eye contact, **"Hello Mr. Tora, I hope you welcome me and we enjoy this time to know each other."**

Tora shook her hand back and nodded walking off to the kitchen. Quincey patted her back guiding her to his living room which had a large T.V. that also was set up as a presentation monitor. 

Quincey bounced ideas, plans, and the general story of his book. It was a romance about a young woman who lost her husband and decided to take things in her own hands by finding herself and moving on to someone new. Poppy was to help be the inspiration as the main character; Poppy talked about her personality, past relationship, and what she felt comfortable about discussing in terms of her life. 

Tora sat in a white recliner the whole time; listening. She knew he was listening and it made her feel less nervous with him being there and listening to her explain things that she hoped one day he'd hear on a night of dinner or something; instead, it was this situation. 

After she and Quincey finished their meeting, he arranged that Tora would be able to drive her home; she insisted to not trouble him but Quincey insisted. Telling her that he would not feel comfortable with a taxi, but more if Tora would be the one to do it. Tora sat in the recliner looking done with it all as he sipped a juice carton and slowly stood up grabbing a pair of keys on the coffee table~

* * *

Poppy sat in the black car she and Tora once went on a date a few weeks ago before. Her hands trembled a bit sitting in the passenger seat next to him while holding her purse as a way to calm her nerves. It was quiet and awkward to drive home when finally they arrived at her apartment complex. 

She began to open the door when she felt his hand on her arm. Her motion stopped and looked back at him as his stare was truly infatuating to her. They stared in silence when the words slipped from his mouth, 

**"Why?"** , she was quick to snap from the gaze and began to think hard. Her eyes shut when his hands gently touched her cheek and he gazed at her deeply.

**"Poppy look at me, why did you disappear on me, did I do something wrong? Was it something I did?"**

She moved his hand away her eyes opening; they were filled with fire and tears built up as she burst out, 

**"You lied to me!"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Things are gonna start getting juicy as they begin to talk in this situation.   
> Also, I will try to post roughly every 4-7 days since I now have college again and I gotta get this education. I love the support and I always love any comments from you all  
> I will add that chapter 7 will come out soon because I have started the rough draft since this chapter felt short and I want to get content out to you guys versus cliffhangers every 4-7 days haha...  
> Thank you for supporting and again comments are always welcomed.


	7. Is this our new normal? pt.1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> New normals seem to be unsettling for us, we attempt to keep it down, but how many promises til something inside gives it away or snaps?

" **You lied to me!"**

* * *

Tora sat struck by those words, _'lie about what?'_ , his eyes showed confusion as he slowly relaxed and thought what she was referring to. 

**"Poppy...What did I lie about?"**

Her cheeks flushed, tears streaming down as she slowly tried to calm herself down and couldn't seem to. She gripped her purse tightly with her right hand, her left wiping tears away as she looked into a very confused and concerned Tora's face. She was scared; she didn't know why she blurted that out, she had the idea of talking to him civilly without raising the concern that she knew about his affiliation with the Balthuman clan, but she dug her own grave in that instance. She began to whimper back tears, controlling her breathing and looking out towards the apartment complex. She wanted to run into her room and slam the door shut; she wanted to be alone. 

**"Poppy?"**

Her reality slowly went back to Tora, his brow raised and deminer less intimidating to her than before.

**"What did I lie about?"**

She thought fast before speaking, 

**"I...I thought you were supposed to be here earlier...and I wasn't receiving your texts...and I thought maybe you didn't like me..."**

She prayed this white lie would go through to him as he stared at her intensely, she wanted to be near him and be around him. But, she didn't want him to know that she knew about his _'secret'_. She began to nervously grip her purse tighter, her knuckles turning white as the awkward silence filled the car. 

Tora stared at this crazy woman, did she get this upset because he was a few days late from being back home? She seemed terrified though, she acted more radical than a simple thought that he might have disliked her, but he played along,

 **"Geez woman all that for being a few days late? I was messaging you, it probably didn't go through to you or something; see"** , he pulled his phone out to show the multiple messages that he had sent her, she felt worse seeing his texts and from the last of her name. She softly sighed and nodded at him, _'dodged a bullet for now'_ she thought to herself as Tora lifted her chin up gently. 

**"Look, you are a fucking angel that dropped a painting on my damn car and loves to wear cute ass clothes and has so much for herself. WHY the hell would I ever give someone up like that? Poppy...promise you'll talk to me if anything is wrong...ok?"** , she nodded softly, closing her eyes as Tora kissed her forehead and looked at her. She was small, innocent and he wanted to protect her, but he knew something was wrong. She had stopped shaking and her body was less tense, she pushed forward giving him a hug and clinging to his back. He hugged her back softly, running his fingers through her hair and looking out the car window.

**"Tora I'm sorry if I hurt you, I'm sorry for overreacting...I wanna keep talking..."**

Tora kissed her head and patted it gently, he pulled away and smiled, 

**"Let's get you inside, you look like depressed shit"** , he smirked as she punched his shoulder, _'there she is'_ , he thought to himself as he laughed at her reaction. The two went up to her apartment, he wanted to make sure that she was okay as he watched her step into the doorway of her apartment and smiled. She turned around to face him and gestured for him to come to eye level with her. He rolled his eyes and bent over looking at her when she softly kissed him. She slowly closed the door and he left back to his place, texting Quincey that she had gotten home safe and that he was okay. 

* * *

_1 a.m.~_

Tora sat watching t.v. and looked out his apartment window out towards the city. He sighed as he couldn't stop thinking about Poppy's actions; he stood up, stretched, and headed to his kitchen. While sipping on a drink, his phone in hand, he wondered if she knew what he truly was, she acted to scared and was to pale to be upset over something so minor. He didn't take her as a crazy woman, but he wasn't sure since they had only known each other for a few weeks. _'Does she know? Will she say something? Did she lie in the car?'_ , he didn't like this situation at all and his phone beeped. 

* * *

Poppy laid in bed staring at the dark walls around her, she clung to her sheets and couldn't get the image of how concerned Tora was about her. He really was a sweet guy; tough on the outside, soft on the inside and dangerous...but not to her...right? She sat up looking at the time wondering what he was doing right now, was he at home sleeping or doing something worse. Her mind couldn't think of the things he's done and the fact that he was so calm coming back that it made her feel weird. 

**"Everyone deserves a normal right?"** she spoke to herself and turned on her light as she knew sleep was not coming. She wanted to hold his hand again, eat dinner, and do fun stuff but this secret that she should have kept her noisy self from snooping was now in her mind. She looked over at the time again, it was almost 2 a.m. and she wanted to see him...she wanted to tell him the truth but couldn't say what she knew. Would that change them? Would it affect any chance of them being together? She threw herself back on the bed, groaning as so many things were going through her mind. She didn't like this, she had ultimately fallen in love at first sight with a mafia member and now didn't know what to do. Her feelings were everywhere and she needed to calm down, _'Tomorrow's a new day...'_. Poppy reached over on her nightstand; popped melatonin in her mouth switching off the lights and allowing the moon to wash over her apartment. 

* * *

_Morning~_

Poppy woke up abruptly, looking around at her room as she heard a knocking on her door. She looked at her clock, _'fudge...its only 8 a.m...who is it?'_ , she slowly got up and began walking to the door yawning. 

**"One-moment ~"**

She put a robe on and put her hair in a quick messy bun before answering,

**"Ye-"**

Tora stood there wearing a terracotta orange turtle neck and black jeans with a terracotta orange watch to tie it all together. The weather seemed nice and cold when opening the door, it was already late October and Poppy looked Tora with half-asleep eyes. 

**"Yes...?"** , she said softly when he handed her a small red poppy and kissed her forehead. She blushed like crazy and slowly moved to the side for him to come in. He walked in stretching, a small bag on his back as she raised her brow and locked the door. She walked over to the couch sitting while rubbing her eyes; the small poppy between her fingers when she set it on a small book on the table. 

**"Good morning Bobby"** , he looked better than yesterday, like at least five hours of sleep better she thought to herself while staring at his eyes. She liked the colors on him, they played well with his eyes and she found herself staring hard at him while he sat smirking. 

**"G-good morning..."** , she looked down a bit and sighed a relief that things may go back to normal, but she knew it was never gonna be the same. 

**"How did you sleep last night?"**

Tora looked at her, relaxing more into the couch and looking up at the ceiling, **"Pretty good actually since I got to see you~"**

Her cheeks flushed up, _'damn his smooth talks'_ , she stood up and walked to the kitchen leisurely with him following behind. He liked the way she looked, she wore a soft hazel brown tank top with a hazelnut in the middle running away from toast saying, **"I'm not spread! Leave me alone!"** , she also had on white pajama shorts and the robe she wore was a nice silver color with white poppies at the end. He loved anything she wore, but she looked more stunning than usual today. 

_'Hmm...This feels familiar...'_ She could feel him staring a hole in her back as she made coffee, she turned around leaning on the counter and smiled, **"Well since you got to soak in some views, want some coffee and breakfast?"**

He smiled, crossing his arms as he leaned on the counter opposite of her. "Sure, What's for breakfast?", she smiled and brought raisin bagels and cream cheese, **"Simple and sweet"** , he laughed and looked at her as she looked at him. 

**"Poppy, I know this is sudden, but can we try again? My work is gonna take me out of town maybe a few times a year, but never to much. I wanna try to make this work?"** She stood there spreading cream cheese on the freshly warmed bagel and nodded softly. She seemed shy but happy. He walked over to her and took softly kissed her on the cheek which surprised her. In the process his hand slipped the bagel, he took a bite and walked away quickly,

 **"Hey!"** , she went after him, her tiny legs trying to keep up with his strides across the living room; she scrambled for her bagel. He lifted it up in the air, she tried to reach it but their height was too different so she began to try and jump for it. 

**"Give me a kiss if you want it back~"** , she looked at him and raised a brow crossing her arms, **"I can make another"** , he laughed suddenly and smirked, **"Is it really that bad to give me a kiss?"** She turned red and looked at his golden eyes and shook her head, **"I still want my bagel after this"**

 **"Sure Bobby~"** , he watched as she went up to him closer and pressed herself against him, softly kissing him as he kissed her back. He slowly let his arms down and proceeded to intensely kiss her as she slowly snatched the bagel running to the kitchen laughing, **"Haha! Never let your guard down!"** , she walked over to the counter placing the half eating breakfast on a plate, she felt hands on her hips and jumped slightly as he leaned against her; his chin resting on her head as he held her close from behind. 

**"Bobby is everything really okay between us?"** He held her hips tighter as she could hear the worry in his voice. Poppy knew that nothing will ever be the same, but for now, things seemed to be patched up enough? It weirded her out that she went from being terrified to truly alone without him being by her side. She looked over at her bagel, then towards a small window and then down at his hands around her. Was she truly okay with just letting things go and pretending she didn't know? 

**"Yeah, Tora...Everythings okay~"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to put this into a two-part thing, I keep writing this chapter and you guys know I hate making you all read very very long reads. I re-wrote this three times because I honestly thought of three different ways this could go, but finally chose one! Part two will be out two days after part one! Thank you again and love the comments~


	8. Is this our new normal? pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *18+ for this scene, sexual content will be happening and lots of nice details~*  
> Tora and Poppy are starting to find their normal? Or will things take a different turn?

**"Yeah, Tora...Everythings okay~"**

Tora squeezed her close, his body was warm and she enjoyed that safe feeling he gave off. A few seconds went by as Poppy began to struggle from his grip wanting her bagel and cream cheese breakfast. He chuckled, letting her go and watched as she chomped on the crusty bread like a hamster. It was nice to have a bit of normal, he looked over and placed his bag down crossing his arms. 

**"The bag?"** , she said softly through mouthfuls, licking her fingers and staring at it. 

**"Well miss Booby is finally observing the situation"** , he smirked, bumping his hip against hers as she blushed and finished the bagel. 

**"Well yeah, you come this early to talk smooth and with a bag in hand...what does that head have brewing inside?"** , she leaned forward a bit looking up into his eyes as he stared back. **"Well...I thought since you seemed pretty upset with me being away for so long, that we could have a day together~"** Her cheeks flushed red, twirling a lock of hair as she looked away; he loved messing with her and she kept falling for it. 

**"Well, what would you like to do Mr. Plans?"**

**"Remember I still owe you a dinner and movie date, I didn't forget that, but someone needs to supply dessert~"** She punched him in the arm again as he boomed laughing, **"I like strawberry things so make it good, please?"** He gave her puppy dog eyes as she sighed softly, smiling a bit and nodding. **"Sure Tiger~"**

Poppy and Tora discussed their plans to visit a nice strip that evening after the movies; find a nice food vendor and Poppy knew of a good sweets shop she visits occasionally after work. In the meantime, they enjoyed each other's company, and she felt...normal? He was nice, caring and she couldn't get these cloud nine feelings to go away; it happened every time she saw him smile or laugh. It was almost peaceful and things were going to change, it was going to get better and it didn't matter about his affiliation...he was a nice guy. 

**"Hey Bobby~ I hate to say I was eavesdropping that night you and Quincey were talking but you said you had a past boyfriend right?"**

She looked up at the sudden, yet strange question and nodded, **"Yeah?"**

 **"I know this isn't much, but he really lost out on something special"** , he sipped strawberry juice while watching something on the tv, his arm draped over the back of the couch and in more comfortable clothing than when he arrived. She stared at him, tears forming in her eyes as she tried to hold them back after he said that, **"I mean...you explained most of it when I went into the kitchen but I heard what he did...I heard your voice and Poppy...It's not your fault...If I could I would break his-"** , she hugged him hard, kissing him softly to stop the sentence and pulled away. **"Thank you...but you don't have to get mad over someone like that...I kept blaming myself for him cheating...it means a lot to hear you say that..truly"**

He looked at her, wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes and kissing her forward. He smiled at her as she grinned back; it wasn't enough that he cared about her, but he really knew what to say at times. It felt genuine hearing it from someone like him when she had been struggling with that for a while. She slowly began to kiss him again, running her fingers through his hair and closing her eyes. He kissed her back, rubbing the lower part of her back and deepening the kiss slightly. They both kissed long and deep, enjoying their warmth and taking in every aspect of their bodies. His hands began to wander around her hips and then to her ass; she squeaked softly, breaking the intense kiss and looking into his eyes. **"You love roaming huh?"** , he smirked as he kissed up her neck, softly nibbling and holding her close. 

**"Somethin' wrong with that Bobby?"** , she looked over as he began to leave a hickey on the underside of her jawline and squirmed softly. **"T-Tora"** , he grinned when pulling away and winked at her, **"Mine"**. Her cheeks flared as she felt the small mark, **"Hey! What if someone sees?"**

**"Tell them your mine~"**

**"I-I can't just say it like that!"**

**"Why?"**

She glared at his smug smirking face and pinched his cheek, **"Because its awkward"** , 

**"Then make it unawkward"** , he laughed softly, while holding her close to him and spanking her a few times. She yelped and looked him, **"Okay, is today mess with Poppy day?"**

**"Sure is~"**

He gripped her outer thighs pulling her into his lap making her straddle him as she looked up; he squished her cheeks and stretched them gently, **"Squishy, my squishy"**. 

She glared at him and licked her tongue out when he suddenly took her tongue into his mouth giving her a deep kiss. Her eyes widened and she could feel him against her as she leaned in for more. It had been so long since that night, she anticipated for this but never imagined how much nicer it felt after all that time of waiting. 

He slowly ran his fingers down her spine, breaking the intense kiss and kissing down her neck to the entrance of her breast. She rested her arms, leaning her head back as she enjoyed the affection he was giving her body. He softly lifted up her shirt, running his fingers between her breast, gently rubbing them and kissing her chin. She slowly lifted herself a bit better on his lap, her hands firmly on his shoulders, her breast at eye level with him now as she looked into his golden eyes with as much intensity as he gave her. 

He loved her body, she was nice, curvy, she smelled like walnuts from her shampoo or body wash... _'whatever...she's gorgeous'_ , he thought to himself. He suddenly pulled her shirt off as she covered herself, he grabbed her wrists gently and looked her in the eyes, **"Poppy please don't cover yourself"**

 **"B..but"** , he pulled her hands away from her chest, softly kissing her breast and licking her nipples, **"But nothing, this body is beautiful"** , she watched as he sucked her nipples, rolling his tongue over one while rolling the other between his fingers. She shuddered hard, gripping his shoulders while closing her eyes. Tears rolled down her cheeks as he indulged himself, his free hand gripping her ass as he started to suck on her nipples roughly. She loved him~ She loved his actions, his sweet words, and the way he treated her. She felt horrible for thinking of him so horribly a few weeks ago, it made her feel weird to now be getting embraced by him after all that went down. 

Tora began to roam his hands between her inner thighs and slightly tugging on her shorts to get her back into reality from her thoughts. He smirked as her eyes opened wide; watching her reactions were adorable, especially when he took her by surprise. She needed this, she needed a confidence boost and he wanted to give her it. He lifted her up a bit, pushing her on her back; legs spread a bit as she looked at him. Her eyes almost seemed pleading as he tugged her shorts away revealing her soft pastel orange panties. She bit her lip looking at him as he tugged them off, crawling over her and kissing her again. She gripped his body close to her, when they stopped he licked her lips, biting the bottom lip and smirking. 

**"Your fucking gorgeous"** , She shivered when she felt his hands against her clit suddenly, he slowly rolled it over between his fingers in a gentle circular motion, slightly picking up the pace~

She moaned under her breath, whimpering at the feeling; she had only done it once and it wasn't all that great. She didn't know how it was supposed to be; having someone do this for her felt different but amazing. She panted softly, becoming wet as he played with her clit and his voice broke the trance, 

**"Are you a virgin? I don't wanna hurt you~"** , she shook her head, **"I-I'm not, but this all feels new to me~"**

 **"Good"** , he slowly slipped in a finger before adding in another, arching her back she gasped and gripped the couch under her. He watched her reactions, smirking while slowly pumping his fingers; her breathing quickening as she moaned softly from the new feeling of his fingers. He slowly added a third finger, raising his eyebrow and looking at her. Her hair was a mess, her lips trembling and he loved this unraveled look of her. 

**"Damn sweetheart you've takin' three fingers~"** , she looked down at where his fingers and her pussy were connected, he curved them upward and teased her g-spot at a nice rhythm. She moaned out louder, covering her mouth and looking at him wide-eyed. 

**"Oohh~ I think I found it~"** , he began to massage her there more, pumping his fingers faster; her moaning more intense and body shaking in excitement. 

**"Good girl~ I wanna hear you~"** , she panted lewdly as she felt the climax reaching her, it had been so long and she had been to busy to really pleasure herself. She felt truly in heaven as he continued to finger fuck her pussy; a nice noise being caused by the friction of his fingers and her insides. She panted, gripping the coach and then Toras hair. His eyes widened as he grinned, slowly putting his face up to her and licking her clit. She bucked her hips in reaction, his soft lips sucking on her clit and fingers pumping her made the experience one hundred times better. 

**"T..t..tora!"**

**"mmm, say my name more~"**

She groaned in pleasure, her body on the verge of climaxing as he played with her, **"Tora...Tora...Tora!"** , She gripped his hair and arched her back suddenly climaxing on his fingers. He watched her body turn to a hot beautiful mess as she finished in front of him. Her legs up in the air, toes curled and body tense when she finally stopped after a few seconds. She laid out, panting, and looking up at him. 

**"You beast~"** , she panted,

 **"Want more?"** , he smirked at her.

* * *

Tora laid Poppy on her bed, taking his clothes off as she watched him intensely and looked away when he looked up at her. She blushed hard seeing how hard he was for her and slowly moved to the foot of the bed, her legs hanging off as she sat watching him. He was truly a work of art she thought, her eyes suddenly went to his shoulder when she noticed a scare. It wasn't there when they last had _'fun'_ , _'where did it come from?...it looked kinda painful.'_ He lifted her chin pulling her attention to his eyes as she gave it to him, her eyes were large and full of attention. He wanted her and she wanted him, 

**"Can I?"** , she nodded when he laid her back, getting between her legs and rubbing himself against her clit. 

**"Tora, how many women have you been with?"** , he looked at her, sliding the tip inside her and looking into her eyes, 

**"I haven't kept count, not saying I have slept with a lot of women, but it never has been as serious to remember them as it will with you"**

**"Okay smooth talker, give me a number"** , she slightly closed her legs, smirking and crossing her arms. 

**"Okay okay...I think ten? At the most?"** , She looked at him wide-eyed, **"TEN? That's a lot Tor-"**

**"Sweetheart I'm being honest...they was just one-nighters or hookups. I can't even give you a name, you really are somethin' Poppy and I can promise you this is more than a one night"**

She smiled at him as he opened her legs, slowly yet roughly sliding into her; she gasped and looked him in the eyes.

**"Now instead of talkin' I prefer showing you how crazy you've made me feel",**

He leaned against her, pushing his whole length deep inside her and softly shuddered. She was tight, _'Did her ex have no dick? She feels fuckin' amazing'_ , he thought as she panted underneath him; she took him all in and slowly gripped her comforter. Her body trembled as he slowly moved his hips letting her get used to him. She moaned softly while he groaned at the tight feeling, yet it was a warm sensation she was giving him. 

**"Poppy...I promise I won't forget this"** , she moaned out as his pace picked up, gripping her thighs and pumping faster. He groaned more, leaning his head back a bit as he fucked her roughly. 

**"Tora...Tora!"** , she moaned his name as he went roughly, gripping her arms and pinning her down. She loved how much of an animal he was, how dominate he was and he felt amazing. She loved how relaxed he was, how different his body was as he was slowly unraveling and she enjoyed watching him. He suddenly slowed down but pumped rough and sudden. He looked at her hungrily, gripping her wrists above her head and looking her in the eyes. She stared back, her face flushed and softly moaned while looking at him so intensely. He grinned, going faster again, 

**"I'm close..."** he started going faster when she wrapped her legs around his waist, her fingers curling under his grip, 

**"I..Im on the pill"** , he held her close, the two were a mess of hair and entangled body parts as he suddenly pumped her faster before he came inside. She moaned softly into his ear as he held her closer, her legs wrapping tighter around his waist and their bodies becoming one. 

After a moment they both panted and softly kissed again, her eyes calm and their breathing slowing down. He kissed up her chin and lips softly while releasing her wrists and running his fingers through her hair, **"You okay?"** , she nodded, **"You okay?"** , he grinned widely, **"Hell yeah, I could go again~"** She laughed nervously, **"okay, okay Tiger, one round is enough for now"** , he chuckled.

He slowly pulled out of her laying beside her and looked over at her. She curled up to his side, holding his hand as they both looked at the ceiling together and laid in silence. Minutes went by when he looked at her again, **"Don't question your worth, if I have to I'll tell you every day how amazing and beautiful you're till you get it through your thick skull"** , he poked her forehead and smiled as she let tears fall down her cheeks. 

* * *

_Evening~_

Poppy stepped out from the shower, her hair in a bunned up towel and drying off. Tora had already showered and was getting dressed for their evening together as she looking at him; her hair released from the towel as she patted it dry. 

**"Tora can I ask you something?"**

**"Yes?"**

**"I know we haven't known each other for long but why me?"**

Tora sat on the edge of the bed, he looked at her and smiled, **"Why not?"**

 **"Eh?"** , Poppy looked confused tilting her head at him. 

**"Poppy I think you need to put yourself a bit higher, you are a stunning hamster and I love it."**

She smiled a bit, **"Thank you"** , and walked over to the closet picking out her outfit. She wore a nice muted forest green knitted sweater and black leggings; for her shoes, she had on black ankle boots and small avocado earrings to tie everything together. Tora smiled at her cute outfit and they both went out for their evening events. 

They found an action movie with some romance in it to watch; it was exciting and pretty intense. Tora enjoyed it a lot and Poppy seemed to enjoy anything that they did together. They went to a nice taco vendor on the strip with other parked food trucks. They then visited the shopping strip and complained about the pricing for items and acted goofy within the shops. Tora watched from a bench in a store as Poppy tried on a few dresses and women's suits. He looked over noticing someone from afar staring at him, but when he made eye contact they walked away quickly. He raised an eyebrow standing up when he felt Poppy's hand on his; in that process, she went ahead and bought what she wanted. She was ready to go, but he felt unsettled for a moment. She noticed it was getting dark and insisted they go and buy him the sweets he wanted from earlier. 

After a few moments they both were on their way to the car; Poppy had a small box of strawberry creme-filled eclairs dipped with white chocolate on top and small strawberries to decorate. She also had a small cup of homemade strawberry milk and Tora sipped on a strawberry tea he got from the place. 

Tora seemed tense since the shop she thought, has something spooked him? Maybe this is normal? She shook her head and tried to clear her thoughts, they were getting used to each other so maybe this was just how he was. He was in the mafia...its probably hard to relax even if you're out on a date she thought to herself. She slowly held his hand as he held it back. He didn't seem that bad and they were going home anyway. 

* * *

_Night~_

Poppy flopped on her bed, she squeezed her comforter between her fingers and looked over at Tora. He was looking around the apartment a bit and she sighed softly to herself. ' _It's okay, he's just making sure we're safe...'_ , she sat up, taking off her earrings and pulling off her clothes. 

**"Tora wanna shower first?"** , He looked up startled after "inspecting" the eclairs and nodded, **"Sure thing~"**

After their showers Poppy nuzzled next to him on the couch, they both ate eclairs and watched a few cooking channels. She insisted he pick something, but clearly he didn't seem too interested in what they watched. As the night passed they both slowly retired to bed as Tora did another check of all the locks and doors. He noticed there were plants by the balcony doors and figured Poppy had taken his advance in terms of how vulnerable it was with such little security. 

**"Tora! Come to bed its late~"** , he turned around and nodded at her slowly doing as she said. Poppy was the first to fall asleep and Tora laid in the dark staring at the ceiling as Poppy did so many nights before him. Did it feel weird to sleep in a bed, beside someone and feel safe? Did he feel safe? But also to alert to allow sleep in; after a few hours he finally sat up and gently got out of bed. He went to the kitchen, sipping on some water, and sighed softly. He finally went to the balcony, looking around into the night of the complex. The only noise was the small crickets chirping and the soft autumn breeze. It felt relaxing, but it kept putting him on edge. He went back to the living room, locking everything up and sitting on the couch. Poppy's laptop sat on the table and he picked it up looking at it. 

He opened it up wondering if maybe she had a game or something to pass the time since he wasn't much of a fan of T.V. There was a password and he hissed softly to himself; first, he entered in her name, wrong; then her birthday, wrong, 'shit' he thought for a moment and sighed heavily at this next attempt. He slowly typed, _'1234'_ , since it was a four-digit code; success, _'Damnit Bobby we're gonna have to go over passw-'_

He completely froze as he stared at the screen, **"BALTHUMAN"** read across the laptop screen with his tattoo front page. He looked shocked and started to scroll through. She had a small notepad app opened and saw the small notes she was taking, the words; dangerous, deadly, mafia, etc. were bolded as Tora sighed and closed his eyes.

'Damnit...I knew she knew', He slowly closed the computer and stood up, the time read 2 a.m. and he started towards her bedroom door. His expression serious as he opened the door to a sleeping Poppy~ 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well having sex is nice, but you guys know it can't always end nice...sadly. It will eventually! I promise, but not yet. I hope you guys enjoyed it! It was nice writing a sex scene but also giving them some peace before things begin to turn~ Hint HINT  
> Sorry for this being a day to two late; a professor of mine hit the ball rolling on this school work so I had to focus on that for a second, but I am happy I was able to get it to you guys!  
> From now on I will update once a week since school will become more demanding. Also, I will surely have more works coming to play with my writing skills so stay tuned!


	9. Can you keep a secret?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A secret? What secret? Can Poppy hide that she knows for long or will she have to fact Tora?

Tora stood there watching Poppy sleep; his heart felt tight and he had rage written in his eyes. 

_'Fuck!'_ He thought to himself, walking to the balcony and shutting the doors behind him to give him privacy. He popped a cigarette in his mouth; slowly puffing and blew a long stream of smoke into the cool autumn air. His mind was raging but slowly calming down as he looked over to the parking lot. **"Shit Poppy..."** , running fingers through his hair he looked up to the bright moon. 

Tora was conflicted; he knew something was up, he had a hunch, but he was praying from all the scenarios in his mind that this...THIS particular one would not be it. After an hour, he finished his cigarette which helped calm his nerves, and thought hard on what he was gonna do. He chuckled walking back to the living room. He locked the doors, ensuring that everything was locked up, and slowly went to Poppy's room where he laid down. He slowly drifted off to sleep, **"Well Bobby, its time to see how well you can play your cards with me."**

Poppy sound asleep, and unaware as Tora fell asleep next to her. 

* * *

_Morning~_

Morning came quickly as Poppy awoke stretching and smiling. Looking over to see Tora sound asleep, his hair messy and oddly his eyes were baggy, _'Trouble sleeping?'_ She thought. Softly she kissed his forehead and went to the kitchen in her robe. A large pot of coffee began brewing and the sound of breakfast being made woke Tora. He heard soft humming and slowly went to the kitchen standing in the doorway till she noticed him. 

Poppy slowly turned around after fetching a coffee mug and turned to pour a cup of coffee, jumping; letting the cup in hand crash to the floor. **"Jesus Tora...You scared me"** , she looked over and kneeled to pick up the larger pieces of the shattered cup, he walked over helping her pick up the mess and still remained quiet. It was tense she thought, she wondered if maybe he did not get a good night's sleep; _'grumpy?'_ she presumably thought. 

**"Thank you, Tora...I hope you are hungry! I am making you breakfast"** , a cheery smile crossing her face as he smiled slightly back when throwing away the sharded pieces of the cup, **" Thanks sweetheart"** ~

A moment went by as Poppy finished preparing the breakfast, it was a very traditional breakfast with some Poppy flare to it. She set up the table, big bowls of rice, fluffy egg omelets, grilled fish in a nice sauce, and hot miso soup. Of course, she did not forget to add some cute squid sausages for more protein on his part and decorated the top of his rice mound to look like a tiger cub~ _'Adorable he thought'_. 

Tora sat across from Poppy and began eating slowly after thanking her for the feast, she sipped coffee while he drank green tea and looked up at her, **"Man sleeping was rough last night"**

 **"Oh? Something bothering you?"** , she munched on a small sausage figuring that the lack of sleep explained his uneasy mood this morning. 

He smirked a bit, **"Eh just staring at an Angel"**

Her face flushed, sipping her coffee quickly, and looking up. **"Well I have off today, so if anything comes to mind to do let me know"**

Tora almost answered, immediately, **"Actually there is something; I don't know what we are Bobby~ but I think we can try to move further in whatever you'd like to call this~"**

Poppy slowly set her coffee down and wondered the question, "What are they?" she thought to herself for a moment before gently placing her hand on Toras's and held it tight, "I think it is time we start figuring out what to call 'us'", Tora gently raised her hand, kissing it softly while smiling, **"You know Poppy since we plan on making _'us'_ more serious I think we should get to know each other better".**

 **"I totally agree! I wanna know more about you Tora~ I know so little yet we've done a lot together"** , a slight blush crept up her face, **"But I do wanna get to know you~"**

**"Then go ahead, ask me, anything you want Sweetheart"**

She thought for a second before asking, **"Tora whats your family like?"**

He looked up a bit surprised as he was taking a bite of fish, he was hoping that she would ask about his job but this was interesting. **"Well, I live with my adoptive family."**

**"They must be proud, do you live close or speak to them still?"**

He nodded softly, **"Yeah, they live here and I visit regularly"**

**"Your turn!"**

**"Want kids?"** He raised an eyebrow at her, as he eat his breakfast slowly, sipping tea to wash it down, 

**"Hmm... I do, I want a little boy, but that's when I'm done doing what I want"**

He nodded, **"And you want a boy, why?"**

Poppy shrugged, **"I wouldn't care but I've always wanted a little boy. Never put thought into it, I never had brothers and my father was so important...maybe I want more men that I cherish in my life?"**

Tora's eyes narrowed **"Poppy...that's cute as fuck"**

She had scooted closer in the conversation and punched his shoulder as he chuckled, **"How about you Mr. Tough guy, want kids?"**

Tora stared at the tiny hamster-like woman, and he went into deep thought at the question before answering, **"Yes, I want a big family...a happy family. I don't care if I have ten girls and one boy or vise versa...I just want a normal."**

Tora suddenly looked at poppy, they were sitting a bit closer to each other with empty plates from breakfast and he moved closer. Poppy had opened her phone for a second to make sure she did not have anything scheduled when she felt his shoulder against hers, **"hm?"**

When she looked up she was face to face with his golden eyes, they kept eye contact as he spoke softly, **"Here's my question for you, you enjoy reading and your job correctly?"** , she slowly set her phone down, keeping intense eye-contact and nodded. **"You love to research and learn about new things, give the scope of situations...right?"** , he leaned in closer as her heart started beating, **"Y-yeah...get to the point Tora"** , she laughed nervously. **"Well, I know a certain someone has been doing some interesting research behind someone else's back, care to go on from there, or do I need to elaborate more."**

Poppy sat there staring at his serious and unmoving eyes, _'Oh fudge...'_ , she thought as the silence grew around them. It almost felt like time had stopped in her mind, she couldn't stop thinking before finally, it came out, **"Tora...I'm sorry, I-"**

She was interrupted suddenly, **"Can you do me a favor bobby?"**

The air stiffened as he leaned in close to her ear, his hands firmly on her thigh as she stared and what the favor could possibly be?

 **"Can you keep a secret?"** , her eyes widened a bit and she slightly moved away when his grip became firmer on her thigh, **"What kind of secret Tora?"**

 **"Oh sweetheart...you can cut the act"** , his tone sounded serious and his gaze darkened as she trembled a bit, **"...act?"**

**"I know you know... I was hoping you'd spill at some point, I was hoping you'd ask about my job, but you have been avoiding this. You know what I am and you know my secret!"**

**"Mr. Bodyguard, Mr. wound on your shoulder...how the hell could I not wonder what you actually do? Do you know that in the time you were gone someone may have been following me because of your affiliation? Or maybe the fact that if you didn't lie to me first I wouldn't have to snoop...sure...you are a bodyguard, but you are also a mafia member! Does Quincey even know?"**

Poppy trembled with rage, it began to build up as she looked at him, her hands trembling and her cheeks red, **"Tora! I..I.."**

 **"I was protecting you"** , her eyes fluttered up quickly, **"I was protecting you, I have to keep this secret from anyone outside my mafia organization to keep them safe. You act more natural not knowing and once you start to know things get worse!"**

Tora rested his head back, **"Poppy did you ever think that maybe I was eventually gonna tell you? That this wouldn't have been a secret forever? I cannot help that I am in the mafia, I cannot change who I am today, but I can change my normal"**

He watched her actions as her mind raced taking in all this information, she knew she was in the wrong, but...but! ...He had a right to be upset, she snooped behind his back, they had also only known each other for a month at most, _' ugh!'_ she thought when she looked up to see his expression. It was straight, no emotion, like a board waiting to get a character from its writer. She looked into his eyes, they seemed to plead, no begging for her, 

**"Tora...I can keep your secret...if you stop keeping secrets from me"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a very talkative chapter. Hope you enjoy~  
> I am very sorry that this took SO SO SO long! I know you guys mostly understand that I am taking six classes at college to finish this degree soon, but school comes first. Lately, things have been super busy, but I have put myself ahead so that I can give myself some free time. I know this chapter is short-ish compared to others, but chapter 10 is coming shortly. We are slowly reaching the end at either chapter 12 or 13...however the events play. I will definitely be writing my own stuff at some point and I hope you guys enjoy this!   
> Thank you,   
> Jackson


	10. Someone's following you?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally came out, but why like this? Who is that strange figure?

**"Tora...I can keep your secret...if you can stop keeping secrets from me"**

* * *

Tora resting his arms, he crossed them over his chest, they both stared for a while before the question came, 

**"You said someone had followed you?"** , Poppy's eyes widened, she did mention that didn't she? It kinda slipped out from the frustration and well the anxiety of that time. She slowly nodded, almost hugging herself for comfort as Tora cursed under his breath and looked down at her. 

**"Look, I'm a big fella, and even if you weren't sure who or what I was...you definitely should have mentioned someone potentially following you earlier. I had noticed a weird guy when we went shopping on our first date...he stared at me for a while. I could feel him, but when I looked he turned away quickly and I only got a glimpse of some brown hair."**

Poppy thought for a while, _'brown hair?'_ , she shook her head and looked over at the balcony in almost a daze. She was tired, she wanted to curl up in warm pajamas and cuddle in the cool weather. But, now that she knows, well now that they both are on terms of Toras secret, she had one more thing to worry about, who was following her? Who was watching them that night of their date? A rival gang? Weird stalker? Who?!

Poppy's eyes could say a million things, but Tora could see the anxiety, the questioning, and the horror in them. He didn't know who it was, but knew she needed to be protected better than this, 

**"Look, I'm serious about the locks, they are getting changed to something more durable TODAY Poppy, I can surely negotiate with your landlord about it and we can ensure you're safer"**

He paused as a thought ran through his head, _'what now? Some locks can stop a few people, but he did not know who he was trying to protect her from, nor does he understand the full extent of what this guy has gone to stalk her. It could be just a weird stalker or an opposing gang.'_ Tora hoped it was just some weird guy that he can fling into the river like a pebble versus another gang member. 

**"Tora?"**

**"Yeah?"**

**"Why not bait him?"**

**"Eh?"**

**"Have me walk home the way I saw him that night, we can do it for a couple of nights during my work week...he's gotta take the bait, right?"**

**"Poppy that's a brilliant plan, but again I'm not God and I can't act as quick as them skinnier lanky fellows sometimes. Its a matter of determining where I can follow you that he won't notice me"**

He was right, Tora is a big guy and hard to conceal...

**"You don't have someone else in your mafia group that can help?"**

**"The fellows don't know I'm seeing someone at the moment and once one member knows they all start knowing and then other clans begin to know"**

**"We have to do something Tora, I know there's a lot of negatives, but we need to find a positive. I cannot keep taking taxis or hitching rides with Erdene because I can't even walk home. That was my exercise time and my peace of mind time...and now it's gone to this shadowy figure"**

Poppy's expression saddened as Tora gently hugged her, he was warm and it felt more comforting now that they both were on better terms. 

**"We'll figure out something Pops, I swear"**

She clung to him for comfort, he slowly hugged her tighter when a ring at the door startled them both back to reality, 

**"Expecting someone?"** , She shook her head, **"Not that I remember"** , Tora went over to the door and slowly opened it with tiny Poppy hiding behind him. Well, he covered her from his larger frame, but either way, she was hidden. A familiar voice echoed from the other side as Poppy wondered who it was, 

**"Oh, shit, sorry I am sure I'm at the right place...is Poppy here?"**

Finally, something or should Poppy say someone she knew well, she rushed from behind Tora and squeezed Erdene who was standing on the other side, **"Hey!"**

Erdene looked baffled, and swiftly took Poppy by the arm past Tora into the bathroom, she locked the door and looked dead into Poppy's eyes, 

**"When you said you were doing stuff I didn't think it would involve that in there"**

**"You mean Tora?"**

**"Yes, if that's his name...is this the guy you met through the paint incident?"**

Poppy nodded, **"and the guy who kept checking you out"**

Erdene Looked at Poppy, **"YOU GO GIRL, I KNOW YOU'D GET SOME DI-"**

Poppy quickly covered her mouth, her face red and giving her an evil glare, 

**"Okay loudmouth, I don't need you to scream how I got some"**

Erdene grinned, poking Poppy's cheeks, **"You didn't just get some girl, you caught the damn harbor! How tall is he? He looks like he works out, you need to build some strength like I said, sex with that?"** , she pointed to the door, **"Can only mean one thing, sore ass muscles! Promise!"**

While Poppy and Erdene chatted timely within the bathroom, Tora stared puzzled, when he heard, **"GET SOME D-"** and then Poppy shush her, he laughed to himself. He went on and made a small pot of green tea, and sat with Poppy's laptop. He searched up, _ **'** Stalking cases' _within the city and many incidents popped up. He narrowed his eyes as many seemed to blame it on gangs, thugs, or simple creeps. The issue was most stories that Tora found had the weird same result, '. _..They just stopped following me...', 'Nothing actually happened...just freaked me out...', 'I never got hurt but-',_ he clicked his tongue in annoyance at the reality of what was going on and began to text Quincey to come over. 

Soon after a red-faced Poppy and grinning, triumphant Erdene came out of the bathroom and sat in front of Tora. He slightly glanced up still typing on the computer as Erdene cleared her throat, **"Well it is nice to meet you Tora, how long have you two been seeing each other?"** Poppy watched Tora as he smiled and continued to type, **"It's really been a month and a week or so, not too terribly long...why?"**

Erdene shrugged, **"Oh nothing, hey Poppy", she squeezed Poppy's cheek hard, "WHY? TO KEEP HIM A SECRET?"**

Tora busted out laughing as the two quarreled for a second before the doorbell rang, **"I got it"** , he stood and opened it, hugging Quincey as Quincey smiled at the group. 

**"Hey Poppy Sweety"** , he walked in and sat as he looked at his editor and her co-worker. 

There was some long talk, Erdene was not kept up well with what was going on aside from Quincey and Tora are brothers in a sense, that Poppy is being stalked and her best friend never told her any of this. Annoying she thought, but oh well, she gets to help at least. 

Of course, the topic of Tora and Quincey being in a mafia was never brought up, but Poppy kicked Toras Knee and gave him the, **"we need to talk"** glare when Quincey sat down. 

**"So, since Quince and Erdene are caught up and we have four heads instead of two, what do we do?"** Poppy looked at everyone and Tora spoke up, **"Erdene seems pretty fit and fast I am assuming, I would suggest getting the stalker to come for the two of you versus just Poppy being on her own. Maybe make Erdene wear something to make her stature look smaller so whoever this is will try his attack."**

Quincey looked nervously at the three, **"Look I just got pulled into this, but what if the guy is part of a mafia or gang"** , he eyed Tora and they all sighed. 

Erdene looked at Poppy, she saw how nervous and scared she was, **"Look, I am unsure what is fully happening, a man suddenly stalking our sweet Poppy and us attempting to capture him? Why not call the cops?"**

**"That's the thing, I searched up other stories and many women seem to have reported it but nothing happens since the stalker did nothing or there wasn't enough proof. At the moment there still isn't a lot of proof and he could be gone but I doubt it. That's why I would like it if you could walk with Poppy from work to her place two days out of the week, that way the stalker will see a pattern and try to attack when he knows you two are walking alone."**

**"Where will you be?"** Poppy suddenly chimed in

 **"I suggested that the two days we do this me and you can work on the book Poppy dear, I see why not since we aren't expecting this creep to take the bait in the first week"** Quincey looked to Tora, 

**"Pretty much Quincey and I will follow on the opposite road, it's far enough that this shadow figure won't notice us but close enough for us to hear. And you said you saw him near the park?"**

Poppy nodded, gripping Erdene's hand, 

**"Then likely he'll try there"**

_~ Evening_

Poppy, Erdene, Quincey, and Tora set a plan to trap this shadow figure, it wasn't anything fancy, but something had to be done. After the discussion, a few sweet treats, and tea, Poppy wished Erdene and Quincey off for the evening. Her head throbbed and she felt sick about the plan. 

Tora rubbed her temples gently, offering they just order out and relax at home for the day. During which someone, somewhere below the balcony snapped a few pictures of where Ms. Poppy lived, a hand looked through the digital camera and a wide grin ran across a shadowy face that ran off from the apartment building. 

_~ Night_

Poppy relaxed in her bathe and looked at the ceiling. She remembered panicking over everything and even with this, she seemed to panic. _'It will be over soon...right?'_ Tora called out saying he was gonna head to the apartment's office and talk to Poppy's landlord about amping the security up, he checked everything and let Poppy know he should be back in a minute. 

She smiled and relaxed when she heard the door shut and lock as he went down. Her mind eased a bit, he did a lot for her, and she started to finally think of him more than what her ex did, it was nice to find some kind of peace~

_~10 minutes later_

Poppy was drying off in the bathroom, the apartment was quiet as she heard the door shut suddenly, she figured Tora was back and then heard the balcony open. _'A smoke?',_ She threw on her robe and poked her head out from the bathroom, looking around, no Tora, the balcony was open, _'He'd never do that, right?'_ She slowly went to the balcony doors, it was cold and windy out that night as she stepped outside. She leaned over the railing looking out, it was nice, even with it being so cold and suddenly the balcony **door slammed shut!** Followed by a locking noise and a soft unfamiliar chuckle. When she turned, she was faced with a man smiling at her from the other side of the glass and began to laugh hard at the expression of shock she had. She had turned white, her body trembled as it was freezing and her only clothes were the robe, her hair still was a bit damp. He made a wink at her and proceeded to go through her belongings as she was struck by how nonchalant he was when going through her belongings. 

She wasn't sure when she began, but when she came to, she was pounding on the glass of the balcony, she must have snapped and she was furious. _'What was he doing? Who was this man? How did he get there? Was he going to hurt her and Tora?'_

The man had gone through everything, looking annoyed, _'what was he looking for?'_ , she thought, he slowly went to the glass and spoke to her. 

**"I understand we've only just met, but I need a favor" he grinned at her**

**"Fuck yourself"**

**"Ooo someone mad, look chubby, I need a book, a black notebook where is it? I know that damn giant has it and you better give it up or he's gonna go down and then you"**

**"I don't know about a notebook, we've only known each other for so long, why would he tell me about something important enough for some psycho to trap me on my own balcony"**

**"You have a point, but honestly I could care less about that, I care more about the book and even taking that big asshole down"**

Poppy looked in terror as he pulled out a gun, **"He should be up here soon, I've been watching you for awhile little Poppy, I know you and your family, well aside from your dead daddy and dead beat mommy, you seem to have a sweet grandma?"**

Her cheeks turned red over her pale and white skin, it was freezing and her fingers began to turn a dual-color as well as her toes. She began screaming and banging as loud as she could

**"Keep going, he'll run up her and bye-bye Mr. Tora"**

She slowly quieted down, 

**"Good girl, hey your pretty smart, I might save you or something...like a pet! Maybe a present for the boss?"** , he grinned at her as he chuckled softly, going through a few books under the T.V. stand that he missed. 

Poppy began to shiver, her body was getting too cold for comfort and she kept wondering where Tora was, her mind drifted to the day they met, the funny situation of the fallen painting by an angel made her smile to herself. She slowly began to sit by a plant that was on the balcony, her legs pulled to her chest as she curled up and stared at the stranger looking again through her stuff. After a few moments she had closed her eyes, tear marks ran down her icy red cheeks, and the noise of the balcony latch startled her. She looked up, eyes wide as the man grabbed her by the elbow to pull her up, 

**"Come on, I cannot have you freezing to death and dying on me, the boss would kill me!"**

She struggled, fidgeting as he gripped her in annoyance and threw her in her room. He stood over her as tears ran down her face, 

**"Oh sweety if I wanted to do that, it would have happened by now, get dressed! Your boyfriend is coming up the stairs and we have some talkin' to do"**

Poppy flew herself at the slamming door, she heard a lock from the outside and another piece of furniture being slid in front of the door. She did as she was told, panicking to throw on something and continuously hitting the door. She froze as she was about to slam her weight into the wooden piece, she heard footsteps and began to yell, **"TORA, THAT FIGURE! HES GOT A WEAPON! TORA PLEASE!"** Her tears ran down her face when she heard the steps stop and her apartment door open. The noises that followed were ringing to her as a gunshot exploded, her heart pounded in her ears and she began to move to the safety of the other side of the room. She curled up, softly counting down from _10_ to herself, when she reached _3_ the door slowly opened and she looked up from her corner. 

_~30 minutes earlier_

Tora shut the door behind him and began walking down the stairwell. He looked around and followed the signs that led to the landlord's office to talk about new locks on Poppy's Balcony, when he got there, there was a note addressing him to go out to his car, he raised an eyebrow at the signature, it was a large A and scribble, he brought his guard up and slowly went to his car. Finding another note, his heart raced as he read the now familiar handwriting, 

**"Hey! Big Tora, Big Bro...Anyways remember me? Remember the guy you left to die back in the day? Remember what I said as those thugs raced in and you climbed through a window while I was AMBUSHED? Yeah...well if you want Poppy alive, you need to follow my instructions...got it?..."** He dropped the note before finishing it, annoyed, furious, and walked to the back passenger door. 

Tora opened his car and got a small black flip phone from a bag, he called, 

**"Yo, we have a situation...yeah...yeah...code blue"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it has been a while, a month to be exact, and I finally had time tonight to finish these chapters. I have most chapters written up in draft phases, so I will be pushing them out in the next week or two. I also had to go back and change a few things, since some of the stuff actually was similar to things released in Poppyland that I had already written. So I went back and took the story on a different course.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I hope you enjoyed chapter one “Fateful encounter” I am unsure how many chapters this will have but I am hoping you enjoy a different take on their encounter and the smut that will surely come! I also would love any feedback as practice makes perfect. My big toe is dipping in the waters at the moment and I will try to update as much as possible as I get feedback and inspiring on what direction to take this in :) 
> 
> Lastly, chapters won't usually be terribly long or they may? It just depends on the scene and such, but I do not want people reading a million words and getting bored so sorry if the short chapters make you scream in frustration for more.


End file.
